Birth control pills and related methods use hormones to affect a woman's body. Hormone treatment is not without risks. Common side effects include nausea, spotting, breast tenderness, headache and migraine, dizziness, decreased sex drive, moodiness and depression.
More dangerous side effects of taking oral contraceptives include bone loss, breast cancer, endometrial cancer, gallbladder disease, and deep vein thrombosis (blood clots). Some instances of heart attack, stroke, and death have been attributed to birth control pills.
How Do Birth Control Pills Work?
Hormonal contraception, including birth control pills, typically consist of a combination of steroid hormones that act on the endocrine system in various ways. Some hormones affect ovulation. Others influence the uterine lining to prevent implantation of a fertilized egg.
Dangerous Side Effects Associated with Birth Control Pills
In a study by Dr. Jan Stepan of Charles University in Prague, teen girls who took a low-dose (15 mcg of ethinyl estradiol) oral contraceptive for nine months showed abnormally low bone growth or loss of bone density as compared to girls who took a higher estrogen pill.
According to Dr. Nicolas Gaudin and the International Agency for Research on Cancer, combined estrogen-progestogen oral contraceptives and combined estrogen-progestogen menopausal therapy are carcinogenic to humans.
A study of three million women showed that those taking an estrogen/progestin birth control pill (such as Yaz/Yasmin containing drospirenone) have a statistically significant risk of developing gallstones.
All oral contraceptives containing estrogen and progestogen hormones (i.e., desogestrel, cyproterone, drospirenone, gestodene, or levonorgestrel) pose a small risk of deep vein thrombosis (blood clots) in the legs and pulmonary embolism. However, according to Dr. Ojvind Lidegaard, a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the Rigshospitalet in Copenhagen, newer contraceptives carry a significantly higher risk of venous thromboembolism than older contraceptives.
Safer Alternatives to Birth Control Hormones
Condoms combined with fertility awareness (natural family planning) is a safe way to prevent unwanted pregnancy and protect against sexually transmitted diseases.
Birth Control pills vary greatly in the ways they act on the body, the associated risks of particular hormones, and the length of time the effects will last after stopping the pill.
Sources:
- Gever, John. "ASBMR: Low-Dose Birth Control Pills Retard Bone Growth." MedPage Today, 14 Sep 2009. Retrieved 25 May 2011. http://www.medpagetoday.com/MeetingCoverage/ASBMR/15944
- Gaudin, Nicolas, MD. "IARC Monographs Programme Finds Combined Estrogen-Progestogen Contraceptives and Menopausal Therapy are Carcinogenic to Humans." IARC Communications, 29 Jul 2005. http://truthaboutbirthcontrol.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/who-pill-breast-cancer.pdf
- Baron-Faust, Rita. "Some Birth Control Pills Post Gallstone Risk." MedPage Today, 20 Apr 2011. http://www.medpagetoday.com/OBGYN/GeneralOBGYN/26030
- "Some Birth Control Pills Safer than Others." Drugs.com, 13 Aug 2009. Retrieved on 25 May 2011. http://www.drugs.com/news/some-birth-control-pills-safer-than-others-19339.html
Sara McGrath - Sara is a veteran homeschool mom of three, Usborne consultant, and the author of Unschooling: A Lifestyle of Learning.
